Sources of wood for the treen worker

By Michael Smith (Veshengro)

While the coppice worker, the woodsman and underwoodsman, who carves and turns treen goods, makes furniture and walking sticks, has choice and ample supply, often others who make such goods not not have such a source and ready access to a steady supply of raw materials and have to find other ways of procuring those. It can be done, however, and that even in towns and cities.

There are the municipal and the private tree surgeons and tree contractors that more often than not have to pay to get rid off the lumps of wood they cut on an almost daily basis and the less of that they have to take to the dump or such the less they have too pay for it and the happier they will be. So make friends with them. Most, if not indeed all, will be more than happy to let you have whatever you want out of what they have cut, generally for free, unless they have an outlet for it that pays, which most of them do not seem to have.

Those contractors may even be happy enough to deliver the stuff to your door in order for you to take it off their hands for the less they have to chip and the less they have on their wagons to dump the more money is in their pockets. Generally a win-win situation for both, them and you.

So, if you see them working approach them. Most don't bite. Make acquaintance with them and ask. Showing interest in what they do and being able to engage with them about trees and such matters has them open up in no time. Those guys and gals are generally so passionate about their work that they love to find someone sharing a similar passion for trees and wood. I have yet to find a real tree surgeon who does the job and has chosen the career, if he or she is a true professional, for the sake of the money. It is a passion with most of them and not just a job. Thus if someone shares their passion they will be more than happy to part with some of the wood, especially if they have to pay to dispose of it.

In my own neighborhood there is a small farm where many of the tree surgeons, who have no other outlet for the wood, bring their stuff in order too get rid off it, against payment to the farmer who, though, turns the logs into firewood and bags the wood chips and sells both at a price, making money from two sides. In my view this is unethical but this smallholder, I guess, sees it as offering a service to the tree surgeons while at the same time creating a small business and income for himself. But that business and income could also come from not charging the tree surgeons and just charging for the wood and the wood chips when one sells them. But then again that is just the way I see it.

Back to obtaining wood for carving if you have not got access to a woodland.

Most tree surgeons and other such contractors, I am sure, will be only too happy to let you have all the wood that you want and that you can use and that for free, more than likely, and they may even be kind enough to drop it off right in your front yard. Go and talk to them and see.

© 2017